


A Kind Word And A Gun

by SkyeSentinels



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Brief violent interrogation scene, Keith (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Knife Fighter Keith, Lance does his best, M/M, Mafia AU, Sendak is a Dick, Sharpshooter Lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-23 00:51:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13178844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyeSentinels/pseuds/SkyeSentinels
Summary: Keith finally thought he’d found a place to belong, but when the Don of the Altea Family is murdered, he becomes the prime suspect. On the run, with both his new and old Family after him, the only person he can trust is a certain blue-eyed sharpshooter. The Blue Lion of the Altea Family, Lance McClain.“You get a lot more from a kind word and a gun than from a kind word alone.” -Al Capone





	1. Just Another Day at the Office

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my piece for the 2017 Dragon Klance BB!! This was an ordeal to write but it's here!

Keith adjusted the collar of his new dark red trench coat, the material felt stiff in his hands, but Hunk had said it just needed to be worn in.  _ “The high density fibers will help protect you from knives but not bullets, so take care out there buddy,” Hunk had said. _

He continued walking down the street to the corner store he and Lance were supposed to meet up at for their first collection on today's route.  _ Idiot had better have waited this time. _

Keith and Lance had recently been partnered up on Allura’s orders, but the two were anything but happy with the arrangement.

_ “Me?! Partner up with this jerk? Nope, not happening. He'll probably have all our people running to the Galra by week’s end.” Lance gestured wildly from his place in front of Allura’s desk. _

_ The young Donna-to-be seemed unaffected by Lance’s accusations, much like the man standing behind her. Coran twisted his moustache before silently asking for permission to speak. Allura nodded, so the orange haired man stepped in. _

_ “Lance, I'm sure you can handle it. Besides, those Galra ruffians have been getting more violent and causing trouble all along your usual collection routes. We can't have our prized sharpshooter taken out, now can we?” _

_ Lance deflated as he considered the logic of his mentor. He glanced to the side where Keith himself was standing, posture stiff as a soldier and a resting glare on his face. “Do I really have to?” _

_ Coran sensed his victory close at hand and grinned. “Of course you do! Allura has ordered it, and Keith is only there to observe and guard you. Who knows, you two might even end up being friends!” _

_ Both Lance and Keith side-eyed each other before looking straight forward at Coran. “Not happening,” they said simultaneously. _

That was two weeks ago and Keith still had no idea what Lance was thinking most of the time. The lanky man would walk into potential danger without a care in his swaggering step. It rubbed Keith the wrong way. He’d always been on guard and cautious every minute of every day since he’d been small, never knowing when someone would appear out of the shadows to shove a knife between his ribs.

_ That’s in the past. I’m with Altea now. _ Keith huffed a bit, thinking of his good fortune. Leaving the Galra Family for Altea had been the best decision he’d ever made.  _ And getting away from Sendak is a nice bonus. Wish I’d killed him though. _

He would’ve continued down that dangerous line of thought if not for the sound of yelling coming from just a little ways away. Keith saw Lance standing in the doorway of their meeting place to block the way in, red-faced and screaming at some guy twice his size and twice as ugly. “Oh fuck,” Keith whispered under his breath. What a way to start the day.

As he moved closer, Keith could finally pick out Lance’s words. “You fucker! What is wrong with you?! Children are off limits, you fuck! I don’t want to catch you or your sick friends around here again! The Altea Family doesn’t take kindly to your type so you better back the fuck off!”

Lance breathed harshly after his tirade, looking ready to just pull out his gun and shoot the guy. Keith did not want to have to explain to Shiro why there was a dead drug dealer in front of their first collection stop of the day.  _ Last time was bad enough. _

Keith moved silently behind the dealer, taking out his knife and sliding it up against the man’s throat. The dealer went abruptly silent at the press of cold metal against his skin which Keith thought was pretty smart of him. He eyed the tattoo just peeking out of the man’s shirt collar, a purple shape that vaguely resembled a jagged skull.  _ Galra. _

“You have five seconds to get out of my sight before I slit your throat. Don’t let me catch you around here again. Got it?” Keith’s voice was menacing and seemed to work on the guy. The dealer nodded slightly in fear, and Keith let him go.

The man turned to look at him, and his eyes widened at the sight of Keith’s knife. “Y-you’re…”

“Leave!” Keith barked out before the other could finish. The man turned on his heel and booked it out of there, taking one last look at Keith over his shoulder before disappearing around a corner. Keith breathed out a sigh now that the danger was gone and turned to Lance who had gone inside the store to check on the inhabitants.

Keith watched as Lance talked to the owner and his daughter, their fear slowly melting away as Lance continued to reassure them. The little girl laughed from behind her father’s leg when Lance struck a heroic pose. Keith couldn’t help it as the corners of his lips twitched in a ghost of a smile.  _ What a dork. _

Keith sheathed his knife in the holster across the small of his back, the trench coat hiding it from view. He leaned up against the wall outside the store as Lance collected the money from the owner. He usually stayed outside while Lance socialized and talked people out of their money. Keith didn’t get it, but Lance was surprisingly persuasive despite his loud mouth. 

When Lance finally joined him outside, Keith moved away from the wall to regard his partner. Lance was pocketing the money as he spoke to Keith. “What was that all about?” Lance cocked his head to the side in slight confusion.

Keith shrugged, not wanting to get into it, especially not with Lance of all people. “What was what? He was a problem, and I got rid of him. Let’s just do our jobs and go.” Keith moved away from the wall and regarded his partner.

Lance didn’t seem satisfied, but Keith could barely dredge up one fuck to give. It was morning, but he was already so tired. He rubbed a gloved hand tiredly over his face, trying to wipe away some of his lethargy.  _ Fuck, I need some coffee. _

“Next stop is Kelly’s and then we’ve gotta head down to the Mart on Seventh street.” Lance looked up for confirmation that Keith heard him. Keith nodded and turned to start walking to their next stop. 

Keith vaguely knew where Kelly’s was, the small cafe Shiro had taken him to once, but the sound of footsteps behind him let Keith know that Lance was going to do that thing where he walked in front of Keith like a superior. Lance did in fact do the thing, so Keith just let him take the lead as he walked a step behind and to the left of him. 

_ Like a damn guard dog.  _ Keith grit his teeth but pushed the thought down. He wasn’t like that anymore. Altea was different. Hell,  _ Lance _ was different. He was no Sendak, that was for sure, and Keith was grateful.

~*~*~*~*~

Thankfully, their other two stops were uneventful, and the two collected the money on schedule. The sun started to set by the time they made it back to Altea Manor, more famously known as the Manor of Lions. 

The Manor of Lions had been constructed by the first Altea Don and had been the Family’s headquarters ever since. The architecture was Victorian in style with touches of modernity here and there, mainly in the case of the security system. 

Keith knew something was amiss as soon as he got a look at the front lawn. Guards who usually spent their time smoking and laughing with each other were stone-faced with guns drawn. The dogs that usually lounged around were on alert, ears perked for any sign of intruders. He was broken out of his inspection by an elbow in his ribs.

“Ow, Lance what the fuck?” Keith rubbed the spot gingerly, scowling at the other man. Lance jerked his chin at the grounds in answer.

“The Manor’s in lockdown. See that window up there?” Keith followed Lance’s finger to look towards the roof of the Manor where he could see a glint of dark metal.

“Snipers?” Keith asked. “That’s…” He stopped and looked over to Lance. “We need to find out what’s going on.” Lance nodded, unusually silent with a frown on his face.

They scanned their ID cards and fingerprints at the gate as usual then another panel popped open to scan their retinas. Keith raised an eyebrow but leant forward nonetheless before letting Lance do the same. The gate finally unlocked and let them into the grounds, so the two could start the trek to the front door.

None of the guards spoke to them on their way in, but Keith noticed a few of them glance at him.  _ What’s happening? Was there an attack? _

Once they entered the foyer, two grunts in suits approached them. Keith didn’t know them, but he saw a spark of recognition in Lance’s eye.

“Adrian. Anna. What’s going on? Why’s the Manor on alert?” Lance gestured to their surroundings where more Altea members were walking around, armed and on guard. Anne glanced over at Lance and shook her head at him before turning to Keith.

“You need to come with us, Kogane. Luxia’s orders.” Keith wouldn’t let the surprise show on his face as his mind worked a mile a minute. What would Altea’s Intelligence Division want with him? And where was Shiro? He usually greeted him and Lance when they returned. Not that this day was the usual, but it was still concerning.

Still...orders were orders, and Keith knew better than to disobey. The Altea Family may not be like the Galra, but they didn’t tolerate insubordination.

“Alright, lead the way,” Keith accepted that this day was only going to get longer from there as he turned to follow the two. Adrian held out a hand.

“Wait. We need your weapons first.” Adrian’s face betrayed nothing when Keith didn’t move. This was getting weird. He didn’t want to give up his gun or his knife. His  _ mother’s  _ knife. Keith opened his mouth to refuse, but Lance beat him to it.

“Woah, woah,  _ woah _ . Why does Keith have to do that? Don’t you guys trust him?” Lance stood defensively a little in front of Keith, as if to shield the smaller man from the two. Keith appreciated the gesture but placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder as he stepped forward.

“It’s alright, Lance. I’ll be fine. Just-” Keith looked down at his shoes, suddenly unsure about what was going to happen, “could you find Shiro for me? Maybe he knows what’s going on. And…”

Keith unbuckled the sheath that held his mother’s knife from around his waist, moving slowly for the benefit of the two unknowns. He held it out to Lance. “Could you...keep this safe for me? It’s, uh, important.” Lance gingerly took the sheath in his hands, cradling it like something precious.

“You got it, Mullet.” Lance flashed Keith a reassuring smile as he was led away by Adrian and Anna. Lance watched them go until the three were out of sight before turning on his heel and heading to Allura’s office. Wherever Allura was, Shiro was never far away.

Lance moved at a fast clip down the halls, slinging Keith’s sheath around his waist as he went. As he neared Allura’s office, Lance saw more guards than usual patrolling outside the double doors. He was about to barge inside when the sound of running footsteps made him turn around.

Shiro had just turned a corner but pulled up short when he saw Lance outside Allura’s door. “Lance, you’re back.” Shiro’s eyes looked behind Lance as if expecting Keith, and his brows furrowed when he didn’t see the shorter man. “Where’s Keith? And-” Shiro’s eyes lingered on Lance’s waist where the red leather of Keith’s sheath showed from underneath his dark blue suit jacket. Shiro shook his head. “Nevermind. Where is he? I need to talk to him.”

Lance took in the tenseness of Shiro’s shoulders and the way the fingers of his prosthetic twitched in anticipation. “Adrian and Anna took him to see Luxia. Which is weird, right? And they wanted him to disarm first. What, do they think Keith would attack them or something? Just,  _ argh _ . Shiro, what’s going on??” Lance’s voice rose in pitch and volume by the end, his hands moving wildly around him in his confusion. 

Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He stared straight into Lance’s eyes as he said, “Lance...Don Alfor is dead.”


	2. Things Have To Go To Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has a bad time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter woo! Here's where that violent interrogation scene tag comes into play.

Keith didn’t resist as Adrien patted him down in search for other weapons. He’d already given up his other knife and the gun that’d been strapped to his thigh. The new coat from Hunk had also been taken, and Keith shivered a little at the loss of warmth.

He stood in the middle of a mostly empty room, only a metal table and chair could be seen. Once Adrien finished his search, satisfied he’d gotten everything, Keith was directed to take a seat in the only chair. He smoothed down his black button-up shirt and slacks before taking a seat, the cold metal chilling his exposed arms.

Adrien moved next to his chair before taking out a set of handcuffs that he quickly attached to Keith’s right hand.  _ My knife hand. _ Keith rattled the cuffs before pinning Adrien with a glare while the other man secured his other wrist.

“Why are you doing this? What’s happening?” Keith tried to calm the panic that threatened to rise up in his throat but knew he was only mostly successful. Adrien raised an uncaring eyebrow at him.

“You know what happened. Now, we just need you to admit it.” With that, Adrien left the room, closing the door with a harsh clang of metal. Keith slumped down a little in the chair as he waited, trying to figure out what those words had meant.

_ Admit what? Do they think I betrayed them? Is that what this is about? I should’ve known this would happen. But Shiro promised. He  _ **_promised_ ** _.  _ Keith’s mind continued to whir as he stared at the concrete floor, his thoughts spiralling down. He was so distracted, he didn’t hear the door open and close again.

Keith only looked up when a pair of heeled boots entered his vision. He knew Luxia on sight. Her blonde hair done up in an immaculate bun and her black suit crisp and clean. Keith had reported to her a few times when he’d had his loyalty to Altea tested, so he knew that things were serious if she was involved.

The slender man behind her was less recognizable, but the sea serpent tattoo on his arm was all Keith needed to identify him as Baku, the Altea Family’s best interrogator. His eyes focused on the leather case Baku was holding, the kind that held medical equipment, but Keith knew better. Those were probably his tools. The ones he used to make traitors scream and beg to spill their secrets. Keith shivered involuntarily at the thought that those would be used on him.

“Keith Kogane.” Luxia’s voice shattered the almost silence of the room, and Keith’s attention zeroed in on her. “You had us all fooled, Keith. Even me. I thought you were one of the good ones. Loyal.” She walked over to pluck one of Baku’s instruments up from where he’d started to lay them all out before moving back over to him, showing off the pronged device for the light to glint off of.

“I suppose I was wrong though. Most of this Family wants you dead, and the rest just want you to suffer. But I suppose that is what happens when you kill our Don in cold blood.” Her voice was hard and as cold as ice. She moved behind Keith and placed a mock gentle hand on his shoulder. Keith kept his eyes forward, restraining himself from reacting.  _ Don Alfor is...dead? _

A sharp lance of agony radiated from the meat of his shoulder, and Keith bit back a cry of pain as he turned his head slightly to the left see the metal instrument sticking out of his flesh. The four thin prongs were buried deep where Luxia had stabbed him. She leant down to whisper in his ear.

“Keith, tell us what happened and you won’t suffer. Your death is inevitable, but...you don’t have to live through this pain. Baku is  _ very _ good at his job. So, what is it going to be?” Luxia yanked the metal out of Keith’s shoulder, and he saw only a small amount of blood leak out even as the skin around the area began to purple in a bruise.  _ Fuck.  _

Keith took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. His shoulder protested the subtle movement, but Keith swallowed down a whimper of pain.  _ Be strong. Don’t let them see your pain. Don’t let them see your fear.  _ He looked up at Luxia where she now stood in front of him, examining the blood on the pronged tips. 

Keith mustered up the strongest glare he could and responded. “I am a loyal member of the Altea Family. I would never kill our Don. I swear it.”

Luxia hummed in disbelief before her phone chimed. She took a look at the message before setting the instrument down and gesturing for Baku to follow her out of the room. She looked back at Keith over her shoulder. “We will see how long you can keep this act up, Kogane. We will be back soon.” The door clanged shut behind them, and Keith let out a scream of rage, half muffled by his gritted teeth.

~*~*~*~*~

Keith didn’t know how long he sat there trying to wriggle out of the handcuffs. His wrists were starting to bleed when he heard the lock on the door click. His entire body tensed up in anticipation. This was it. They were going to kill him for something he didn’t even do.

When the door widened enough to see who was on the other side, Keith’s eyes widened and his jaw may have dropped a little. “ _ Lance?? _ ”

Sure enough, Lance McClain hurried through the door, closing it softly behind him before moving over to Keith’s chair. Keith was frozen in shock as Lance pulled out a lockpick and started working on the cuffs, a strained smile on his face. 

“Hey, Mullet. Heard you were in some trouble and could use some savin’. People are sayin’ you killed the Don, but I don’t believe it.” He paused his work to stare into Keith’s eyes. “You didn’t kill him, right? ‘Cause that would make the two unconscious guards outside a little awkward to explain.”

Keith sputtered for a second before forcing out an offended “ _ No! _ ” Lance searched his face for any signs of deception before turned back to picking the locks on the cuffs. “Good. Can’t afford to lose my partner over somethin’ like this. Aaaaand that’s one.” The cuff on his left wrist fell off to clang against the metal of the chair as Lance turned his attention to the right one.

“Of course, Allura’s gonna be pissed at me for stickin’ my nose in this but, I-I couldn’t just sit by and let this happen. You don’t deserve to be punished for something you didn’t do, Keith. Even if that mullet is a crime against humanity.” That surprised a chuckle out of Keith which made Lance’s smile turn a touch more genuine. The second pair of cuffs fell off much like the first, and Keith was free.

Lance backed up, allowing Keith to stand on wobbly legs.  _ Damn legs fell asleep.  _ Keith felt Lance place a hand on his back to steady him. “You alright? They didn’t hurt you too bad, did they?” Lance’s mouth turned down in concern, but Keith waved him off slightly.

“I’m fine. Nothing that’ll kill me at least.” Keith ignored the ache in his wrists and left shoulder as he shot Lance a smile that he hoped was reassuring. “Let’s just get out of here. Do you have a plan?”

Lance puffed his chest out dramatically and pushed Keith gently towards the door. “I may have a getaway car ready to go out back and a super secret hideout for layin’ low. But first-” Lance stopped and unbuckled a leather belt Keith was all too familiar with. “You should have this back. Clashes with my outfit.”

Keith eyed Lance’s dark blue suit before taking the sheath with his mother’s knife. His shoulder twinged as he snapped the harness back in place, but the weight of it was reassuring.

“Stylish. Okay, let’s go, Mullet.” Lance opened the door slightly and after checking for any people, waved Keith to help him drag the guards inside the interrogation room. Once that was done, they moved down the halls, careful of any patrols that roamed around.

Keith saw black dots crawl around the edge of his vision but shook his head to stay focused. He wouldn’t slow Lance down. Lance was doing this for  _ him _ , and Keith wouldn’t be a burden. He let himself breathe a sigh of relief as they made it outside where a dark blue sedan was waiting. Lance unlocked the doors and opened the trunk, already half-full with supplies.

“In you go, buddy. Guards are checking who leaves, but some of them owe me favors. They’ll let me through without a full search. But...better safe than sorry.” Lance shrugged apologetically as Keith climbed in.

Before Lance shut the trunk, Keith whispered out, “Thanks, Lance.” Then there was only darkness broken by the sliver of light shining in from the tail lights. The trunk wasn’t the most comfortable, but Keith was just happy that he wasn’t being tortured this moment.

Keith stayed as still as he could when they pulled up to the security check. The voices outside were muffled, but no one was raising the alarm. Soon enough they were moving again, and Keith breathed out a sigh of relief even as his vision blurred further. His wrists still ached, so Keith fumbled around for some kind of cloth to wrap around them.

His hands found a plastic first-aid kit, probably for emergencies, that Keith quickly opened and unrolled some gauze. His hands were uncooperative as it took three tries to wrap each of his wrists. When he finished, Keith uncaringly threw the rest in the kit and pushed it away from him. His eyelids grew heavy as the darkness in his vision overpowered the light from the tail lights. Keith succumbed to unconsciousness within seconds after.

~*~*~*~*~

_ “Keith, baby, you need to go to bed. Your dad and I have to get up early.” Her black bangs covered her eyes as she looked down at Keith from her place next to him. Keith’s father was turned over on the other side of the bed, dead to the world. _

_ Keith ignored his mother’s words and kept squirming, trying to get the covers just right. “No! I’ll stay with mama...Marmo, too.” Keith clutched his plush hippo close to his chest, a small pout on his lips.  _

_ His mother laughed lightly and seemed to give up. “Alright, you can stay in here tonight.” She leaned over and kissed his forehead, making him giggle. “How about I sing you and Marmo a song so you can sleep?” She smiled at Keith’s vigorous nod, his wild mop of hair flopping around before he laid down. _

_ She smoothed his hair back onto the pillow and began to sing, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away...I love you, Keith.” She leaned over the sleeping toddler and kissed his forehead again. _

_ “Love you, mama.” _


	3. Before They Can Get Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings happen and the cavalry arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably gonna be the longest chapter of the fic, oops.

Keith awoke to the crusty feeling of dried tears on his face and an ache in his heart. _Mom._ He squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing his hands over them to try and get rid of some of the tear residue.

He partially succeeded, and opening his eyes, Keith saw his wrists had been bandaged up. Properly this time, not like the shoddy job he barely remembered doing in the trunk of Lance’s car.

 _Lance. Where-?_ He tried to sit up, but his body felt so heavy. His next try was more successful as Keith swung out one leg from the bed he’d been placed on, and he sat up while using the headboard to lean on for support.

Keith took stock of his situation. He’d been properly treated if the bandages on his wrists and shoulder was any indication. His bloody clothes were gone, leaving him in only a pair of boxers. He blushed at the thought of somebody _probably Lance_ undressing him.

 _Ugh, calm down, Kogane. He probably just needed to check for any wounds...yeah._ Keith nodded to himself and took stock of the rest of the room.

It was a fairly basic bedroom, though blue was a predominant color. Blue walls, blue sheets, blue curtains that matched the exact shade of Lance’s eyes- _Wait._ Keith shook his head then noticed a wingback chair a little ways from the bed had a neatly-folded pile of clothes on it.

Keith figured they were for him, so he stood up from the bed, using one hand on the wall to support himself as he walked over to it.

He quickly dressed in the crisp, white button-up and black pants. The shirt fell a little too long on him, down to mid-thigh, and the pants were a little short around the ankles and tight on the hips. Keith couldn’t complain though since they fit well enough.

Underneath the pile of clothes was his sheath and knife which he readily wrapped around his waist with a small sigh of relief.

“Okay...now to find Lance,” he whispered. Keith left the bedroom and moved quietly down the hall towards the only light in the apartment. He looked around the corner carefully, still cautious of his surroundings.

The hallway led to an open floor plan with a living room and kitchen. The kitchen looked modern, but Keith noticed some signs of hominess. A hand towel on the stove handle reading ‘Oh Crêpe.’ A blue shark mug in the sink. The little things that just seemed so _Lance_ that Keith couldn’t help but smile a little.

The light came from a lamp in the living area, illuminating the leather couch and chair in the living area. The chair, Keith noticed, was already occupied.

Lance sat in the chair, posture languid, but his eyes were trained on the window that had a view of the street below. Lance may have looked casual to anyone else, but to Keith he looked ready to jump into action at the slightest indication of danger. The sniper rifle sitting across his legs didn’t hurt the fact that Lance looked ready to fight.

Keith knocked his knuckles softly against the wall to let Lance know he was there. He didn’t want to startle the other man after all.

Lance flinched minutely, and Keith only saw it because he’d been watching so intently. Lance turned his head slightly to spot Keith. “Hey Sleeping Beauty, have a nice nap?”

“Could’ve been better if the sheets weren’t so itchy.” Keith smirked, moving over to sit down on the couch facing Lance.

“ _Excuse??_ Those sheets are 100% Egyptian cotton, you heathen!” Lance gestured wildly as he spoke, and Keith found comfort in the familiarity of Lance’s dramatics. He didn’t even noticed the small smile creeping onto his face and his shoulders relaxing.

Lance noticed though. “Really though, you okay? You kinda passed out in my trunk- which totally freaked me out by the way- so I had to carry you inside.”

Keith froze for a second. _Carried him? Like...like carried carried him??_ Keith took a moment to mentally freak out before pulling himself together. “Thanks…” Keith mumbled.

Lance leaned forward with an exaggeratedly suspicious look on his face. “You sure you didn’t hit your head, too? You’re _thanking me_.”

“Yes, Lance. I’m aware.”

“ _You._ Thanking _me._ Woah, I have to mentally process this. Commit it to memory. Who knows if this will ever happen again.” Lance sat back and pushed his index fingers into his temples in a gesture of ‘focus.’

Keith snorted. “Well, if this is how you react, then I just might do it more often.” Lance opened his eyes suddenly at that, and Keith just...had to laugh.

“Dude, - _haha-_ your _face_.” Keith smothered the rest of his laugh in his hand, now hyper-aware of Lance’s eyes roaming over his face.

“Well, if you can laugh like that, you’re fine. So…” Lance suddenly looked unsure of himself. Keith didn’t like that look on his face. Lance was always so confident with his flourishes and bravado. He looked better when he was smiling, too- _WAIT._

Keith was broken out of his thoughts when Lance cleared his throat. “So, uh, wow this is awkward, but I gotta ask...why did they think you had anything to do with the Don’s death?” Keith shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to answer that. On one hand, he _hated_ talking about his past, but on the other...this was _Lance._ His partner. His...friend.

Keith must have been silent for too long because Lance started to ramble nervously. “Not that I think you had anything to do with it! It’s just people are so sure you did it, and no one would tell me why. They just badmouthed you- which I totally yelled at them for by the way- but _why??_ I just don’t understand-”

“Lance.” One word from Keith stopped his tirade, and suddenly Keith was back to being the center of Lance’s attention. Those blue eyes bored into him as he licked his lips and opened his mouth.

“It’s...I-” Keith took another steadying breath. Lance would either let him explain or use his sniper rifle to shoot him. _Here goes nothing._

“I was- I used to be part of the Galra.” He waited for the yelling, the accusations, _anything._ All he received was silence. Keith looked up from where his eyes had drifted to his hands to see Lance sitting in his chair. He looked unmoved save for the slight widening of his eyes, but otherwise he was silent and waiting for Keith to continue.

So he did. Keith talked about how his parents used to be underground doctors, helping the Altea Family and Zarkon when he was a part of it. When Zarkon betrayed Alfor, Keith’s parents had been murdered and he’d been taken in by Zarkon then handed off to Sendak for ‘training.’

“They wanted me to be their greatest enforcer, so I was trained everyday. And I got better. Faster. Stronger. I hated their methods, but I knew I couldn’t get out...until-”

He went on to tell how he had overheard Lotor, Zarkon’s heir, and one of his team talking about his parents. Keith had hidden in an alcove and listened as Lotor gloated about how ironic it was for a boy to be trained by the man who murdered his parents.

Keith’s hands tightened into fists, and he had to take a breath to collect himself. “I knew I couldn’t stay there anymore. So I started working against the Galra any way I could. Sabotaging deals. Letting enemies live. Generally making their lives difficult.” He flashed a strained smile at Lance who smiled back even if it looked a little forced.

“I went out with Sendak one night, alone. ‘A new training exercise’ he said. I couldn’t think of a better chance, so I tried to take him out...Turns out I wasn’t good enough. He-” Keith gulped and took another deep breath to force back the growing panic at the memory. He felt the couch dip beside him, but Keith only buried his face in his hands. A soothing presence came to his side and a hand started to stroke his back in slow circles.

“Hey, Keith. You don’t have to keep going. We can stop if you want.” Lance’s voice was so welcome and relieving, but Keith shook his head still in his hands.

“No, I- I have to do this. Get it off my chest.” Silence, then-

“Okay.”

Keith breathed out in relief and wiped his face just in case there were any tears. There were none. A hand found its way to Keith’s, and Keith squeezed it like a lifeline.

“Sendak overpowered me. He stabbed me. A gut wound. Messy and painful. ‘A good way for a mongrel to die’ he said…I thought I was going to bleed out in that alley. Cold. Alone.” He clutched onto Lance’s hand.

“But you survived.” Keith looked over to see Lance looking at him in horrified wonder, as if it was a miracle Keith was even sitting next to him. Strangely, Keith found comfort in this and continued on.

“Yeah, I did. It was by chance that Allura had been driving by that part of town, and of course Shiro was with her. He told me that he saw a body in the alley and asked Allura to stop the car. Which she did, lucky for me. Shiro recognized me and brought me back to the Manor for medical treatment.” Keith took another deep breath to steady himself.

“They told me I almost didn’t make it.”

Keith didn’t have time to be surprised before he was being cradled in Lance’s arms. The other man held onto him with a ferocity that Keith was unused to seeing from Lance. Lance held on as if Keith would disappear if he let go.

“But you did. You’re here.” Lance’s words were quiet like if he spoke too loudly, the moment between them would shatter. Keith reached up his free hand to clutch at Lance’s shirt.

“Lance-”

“Shhh, just- give me a moment.” Keith couldn’t argue with that and relaxing a bit into the warmth of Lance’s arms. This was so different from how they used to be. Before the closest physical contact had been a high five, maybe a friendly side-hug, but now... _He’s really warm. It’s nice._

After a few minutes, Lance pulled back, so Keith did the same. They were closer now, thighs touching and Lance had an arm around his shoulders. Their hands were still clasped together. Both opened their mouths at the same time.

“Lance-”

“Keith-”

They stared at each other for a moment before laughing, the previous somber atmosphere mostly dissipating but their closeness remained. Keith bumped Lance’s shoulder.

“Go on. Say what you wanna say. I think I’ve done enough talking to last me the next month.” Keith couldn’t help a smile. Lance was just so easy to smile around. The blue eyed man chased away his fears and left him with only a warm feeling in his gut.

Lance took a fortifying breath before turning to stare fully at Keith. “Keith, I- I have something to tell you-”

**_BAM BAM BAM_ **

Both men sprang up and went for the closest weapon, Keith for his knife and Lance for his rifle. They both looked towards the apartment door where the furious knocking had come from.

They had a clear view of the front door from the living area, so Lance flipped the coffee table to give them a barrier and set his rifle on top, prepared to shoot the door.

Lance looked to Keith and used one of his hands to make some vague hand signs...and Keith had no idea what they meant. He thought he had the basic gist of Lance’s plan though. Keith would go open the door while Lance covered him and would shoot any people they didn’t like the look of.

Keith nodded to Lance and crept to the door, silent from his years of training to avoid the notice of his targets and supervisors. He gripped his knife tightly in his hand as he stood to the side of the door. He and Lance shared a look, then Keith swung the door open, careful to stay out of the line of fire.

When Keith didn’t hear the sound of gunfire, he looked around the door to see three _very_ familiar people in the hallway. “Shiro-”

“Hunk! Pidge!” Lance was already up and running to the door where he took a flying leap and tackled his best friend, Pidge having slipped right out from under him to step inside.

Shiro also stepped carefully around the hugging duo to lay eyes on Keith, who sheathed his knife. “Keith. You’re okay.”

The eldest of them all opened his arms and enveloped Keith in a hug. Keith hesitated before returning it, glad to see that Shiro hadn’t abandoned him because of the accusations.

By the time the two pseudo-brothers pulled apart, Lance and Hunk had re-entered the apartment and shut the door.

The four of them stood there awkwardly until Pidge’s voice pierced the silence.

“You guys gonna come over here and look at what I found or not?” They had already made themselves right at home on the couch, laptop set up on their lap.

“Found? What’s this about, Pidge? And...why are you guys here?” Lance raised an eyebrow to the room at large, confused. He quickly backtracked with wild gestures. “Not that I’m not happy to see you! But… we’re kinda in trouble with the Family, so isn’t it bad that you’re here? I mean-”

“Dude, calm down.” Hunk laid a hand on Lance’s shoulder, and the sniper instantly quieted. Keith was almost impressed.

Shiro tilted his head towards the living room. “C’mon, you two will want to see this.” Everyone took Shiro’s cue and settled around Pidge.

Lance and Keith each took a seat on either side of Pidge since they’d never seen whatever this was, and everyone else presumably had judging by their grim expressions. Hunk sat in the chair Lance had previously been in with a duffle bag on the ground next to him, and Shiro elected to stay standing behind the couch with a good view of the laptop screen.

Everyone turned to the laptop, and Pidge started to explain what was on the screen.

“So Allura asked me to look into the Don’s death. She doesn’t believe Keith killed him, but the other members of the Family are pressuring her right now to find you.” They turned to regard Keith. “There’s a price on your emo head. Apparently you’re worth a lot.”

Pidge pulled up a message that seemed to have been sent out through the criminal world. It had Keith’s basic description, his dead body’s worth, and a blurry picture of the side of his face. Pidge snickered a little. “I had to make this, but I wasn’t gonna make it easy for anyone. This was the only usable picture I could find on Lance’s phone, the rest were too good.”

Lance immediately went on the defensive, sputtering out denials and attempting to grab Pidge’s laptop, but Keith only smiled to himself. _Candid pictures? Could he…nah._

“I think that’s enough.” Shiro reached between Lance and Pidge to pull them apart. Hunk just watched the scene with such an air of exasperated familiarity that Keith’s smile widened. This felt right, being here with the others. If his life wasn’t in danger, Keith would want to do this more often despite his reclusive nature.

Once Lance had sworn revenge and Pidge had dared him to try, they all refocused on the laptop screen and Pidge’s words. “Even though she had to put a hit out on you, Allura told me to go deeper and see if we could prove you innocent.”

“We?” Keith asked, incredulous. He looked around at the others. Hunk smiled at him and Shiro placed a hand on his uninjured shoulder.

“Keith, you’re our friend. Of course we know you didn’t do this. And _of course_ we’re going to help you...even if Lance jumped the gun before we had a plan.” Shiro sent a meaningful look at Lance, who seemed embarrassed if the slight blush Keith could see on his cheeks meant anything. Then his bravado was back, and Lance lounged against the couch, throwing an arm over the back of it.

Pidge leaned over to whisper at Keith. “Did Shiro just make a joke?” Keith had to think about it for a moment before bursting into surprised chuckles. He quickly muffled them with a hand because laughing right now was _not_ appropriate.

Keith got himself under control in time to catch Pidge’s next words. “The Don was murdered by someone with a knife. Analysis confirmed that it would have to be the size of Keith’s knife, and that’s what started this whole mess.”

Keith’s insides froze. His knife, his mother’s knife, was the reason he was suspected? True, his knife was unique and part of himself, but...He didn’t know how to take this information, so Keith chose to push the thought away for now.

Pidge went on. “Even though people wanted to take that as enough evidence to condemn you, Allura told me to keep going and what do you know, I _did_ find something. Surveillance footage a block away from the murder scene of who I believe is our culprit.”

They pulled up a grainy video feed of the entrance to an alleyway and pressed play. Keith and Lance watched as a person dressed in a black and purple suit exited the alley, knife in one gloved hand. The figure stopped for a moment then tossed the knife in the gutter before walking off.

“Wait,” Keith said, “pause and zoom in on the chest.” Pidge did so and cleaned up the footage to show a symbol on the breast pocket of the suit Keith was all too familiar with from his childhood. “That’s Lotor’s crest.”

Without needing more prompting, Pidge’s expression turned grim and their fingers started to fly across the keyboard pulling up all they could find on Lotor and his movements at the time of the Don’s death.

Keith left them to it and laid against the back of the couch, his shoulder brushing Lance’s hand. Keith almost recoiled, but Lance’s hand came to rest gently on his shoulder, letting warmth spread from his touch. Keith relaxed into it and sent a grateful smile over Pidge’s head to Lance who returned it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Keith saw Shiro raise an incredulous eyebrow at them but said nothing. The older man would probably corner him later. _If we all live through this._ At the moment, Keith just enjoyed the way Lance’s thumb rubbed circles into his skin.

“Found him.” Pidge’s words got everyone’s attention and they all leaned forward to hear what the hacker had to say.

“Turns out he has a pretty tight operation. Only his top operatives and himself are part of it. He used a couple false identities to purchase the knife and the suit. I can find a way to link him to the murder, but only if we can find that knife.”

“Then we’ll find it,” Shiro stated. Pidge grinned maliciously, their fingers gliding over the keys of their laptop.

“Hunk, can you and Pidge go to retrieve the knife?” Shiro asked.

Hunk nodded and smiled, happy to have a plan. “Sure thing, Shiro.” Shiro smiled back, but then it dimmed.

“I’d come along, but it’d look suspicious if I was away from Allura too long. The rest of the Family might question it.” Shiro didn’t seem to be happy with his own words even as he said them. The older man turned to Lance and Keith.

“You two need to stay here and lay low. There’s a price on your head, Keith. And people already aren’t happy with Lance. It’s best if you stay out of sight.”

Keith frowned, and Lance protested. “But what if you guys need backup? We could help, _especially_ if the Galra show up. We can’t just _sit here._ ” Lance sound frustrated at himself and the situation as a whole, and Keith didn’t know how to comfort him.

And Keith wanted to comfort him. Just take the blue-eyed man away from all this and- _Woah woah woah, what the hell???_ Keith rubbed a hand over his face to rid himself of such weird thoughts. Thankfully, he was distracted by Shiro.

“ _Lance_. This isn’t just about you. You have to think of everyone here...You have to think about Keith.” That did it. Lance froze, and Keith could see him struggling with himself for a moment before seeming to lose his energy with a loud exhale.

“Fine. Doesn’t mean I like it,” Lance pouted. Keith inappropriately thought it was cute.

“Noted. Now, we have a plan, so let’s get started. We don’t have the time to waste,” Shiro said.


End file.
